The Trump administration, staring down a $54 billion pension crisis, is placing its faith in a man who is a stranger to most of Washington but for one big connection: His brother-in-law is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his sister-in-law is Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Gordon Hartogensis has little professional paper trail, and has largely just managed his family’s sprawling investment portfolio after striking gold in a '90s startup and retiring by the time he was 29. But he is expected to gain Senate confirmation by the end of the year to run the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the troubled government backstop for people whose pension plans have become insolvent.

Hartogensis, 48, who’s married to Chao’s sister, will oversee an agency with nearly 1,000 employees that manages $100 billion in assets and handed out $5.8 billion to more than 861,000 retirees in 2018. He’ll also have to deal with lawmakers as they contemplate a bailout plan that can avert a shortfall of tens of billions of dollars in the corporation’s cash reserves.

Hartogensis’ low public profile and his lack of government and management experience sets him apart from previous occupants of the job, who have typically worked in politics and at federal agencies such as the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget before taking over. The nomination has drawn criticism for that reason.

16. He is not just holding Congress hostage.

He is holding the entire country hostage. The other 99 people in the Senate should draft a demand and oublicky send it to McConnell demanding a vote to reopen the government. Of course, most Republicans will not do this out of fear of retaliation. This behavior has gone beyond ridiculous. We no longer have a functioning government. Is anarchy next? I have already contacted my senators, unfortunately Cruz and Cornyn. What else can be done?

7. A local fellow who works at a local

TV affiliate said this when I asked him about this same issue. His memo he received was it was all about the Rethug Access for a conservative view on any news topic. And yes,if he wanted to keep his job,he better go along to get along.

8. Republicans are not separate from Trump, nor he from them. He...

... was born from within the GOP and they continue to enable him. They need each other and feed off eachother. If you direct your ire at one, you must also direct your ire at the other. And in any case, such an ignorant buffoon could not have been made President without the Republicans aiding and abetting him all the way.

19. Don't forget Lindsey n/t

20. wikileaks posseses RNC emails

putin is invested in trump big time. Just think for a moment if we have a dem president in 2020 and dem congress - russia and putin will be scrutinized to no end in unity with the rest of developed world. the moment trump is no longer president, he and his family are subject to criminal charges and arrests. He will stop at nothing to hang on to power. Use your imagination of everything that he may possibly do because nothing is off the charts. In the matters of intenrational relations and military, he is virtually unrestrained.

23. Prof Ruth May has asked these questions in the Dallas News

Data from the Federal Election Commission show that Blavatnik's campaign contributions dating back to 2009-10 were fairly balanced across party lines and relatively modest for a billionaire. During that season he contributed $53,400. His contributions increased to $135,552 in 2011-12 and to $273,600 in 2013-14, still bipartisan.

In 2015-16, everything changed. Blavatnik's political contributions soared and made a hard right turn as he pumped $6.35 million into GOP political action committees, with millions of dollars going to top Republican leaders including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.

In 2017, donations continued, with $41,000 going to both Republican and Democrat candidates, along with $1 million to McConnell's Senate Leadership Fund.

25. When Democrats take the Seante back in 2020 along with the White House

I don't want to here this shit that "it would not be good for the country to investigate the Repukes"
For example Turtle Face and his 2.5 mill Russian connection.
I think the Russians came to his aid in the 2014 Senate race.

26. I have no interest of the major media

Asking McConnell a damn thing.

Now tailing him, writing down tags of vehicles in their driveways or vehicles pulled in front of their properties. Pictures of everyone, including where is his wife? It would be nice if the media tracked them, if they don't give a damn about the working person getting paid then they don't deserve the respect to their personal lives. He's dirty, let's start putting it together.

Not allowed to personally invade their space, but allowed to PI the shit out of them. I wonder how many Russians would fall out of trees when we do our reconnaissance?